34 Autumn 2017 European Energy Innovation
EUROPEAN PORTS
Current waves of change
require resilient European ports
By Isabelle Ryckbost (pictured), Secretary General, European Sea Ports Organsiation
The world is changing rapidly. Faced with these challenges, ESPO
Disruption seems to become is currently focusing on the following
the buzzword of 2017. three priorities.
European ports are facing
several changes and challenges: First, ports face a continual challenge to
increasing vessel sizes, increasing invest in long-lived port infrastructure.
market power through both vertical As it shows in the challenges
and horizontal alliances, adapting identified, there are many more
to climate change and the need for reasons (environment, security, safety,
decarbonisation, greening of vessels, digitalisation, etc.) to build or adapt port
digitalisation, national budgetary infrastructure than increasing capacity.
austerity, increased security challenges, Even where such investments provide
geopolitical developments, re- high societal added value and generate
emerging economic nationalism, Brexit. substantial economic returns, they often
have low financial returns for the port
authority. Many essential investments
are impossible because of the nature
of the project or because the port
authority does not have the necessary
financial scale to raise project finance.
It is in that respect, that we continue
to make the case for continued and
increased financial support in a variety
of forms including grants and low cost
long-term debt finance in the context
of the review of the Connecting Europe
Facility, the financial leg of Europe’s
Transport Infrastructure policy.
But there is also another reason for
Europe to invest in efficient, sustainable
and smart port infrastructure in
Europe. Ports are strategic assets not
only as transport node, but also as
nodes of energy and in many cases
also as important clusters of industry.
European ports operate in intensely
competitive environments both within
the EU and with ports outside the EU.
www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu